news

Welcome to Clicks of the Week: November 26 to December 3, 2012 Edition!

Clicks of the Week is a weekly round up of news. It used to be Clicks of the Day, but Linda’s life got busy so now it’s a weekly thing. Number of Clicks will be dependent again on the busyness of life that week.

“The drama in Alberta’s legislature escalated Monday, as several members of the official opposition walked out of the house – before the speaker ruled the premier had not mislead the house, as the opposition had accused Redford of last week. On Monday, Speaker Gene Zwozdesky officially ruled contempt of parliament allegations made by the opposition last week had no standing, and the allegations were dismissed. The ruling came after MLAs from the Wildrose party were shut down by the Speaker a number of times during question period – as Zwozdesky would not allow questions on the contempt of parliament issue.”

“Strathcona County RCMP, with the help of Edmonton police and Alberta sheriffs, kicked off the first Checkstop of the Christmas season this weekend and despite tougher penalties and increased awareness, police say too many drivers continue to get behind the wheel impaired.”

Why are people doing this??? Stop it. It kills. It injures. So preventable.

“The provincial government has released their fiscal update for the second quarter, and the update outlined major hits to the province’s finances, and critics are worried the province is sitting on an ‘economic time bomb’. Based on results published so far this year, the province is forecasting a deficit between $2.3 and $3 billion.”

“Federal beef inspectors at the XL Foods plant in southern Alberta whose E. coli crisis sparked the country’s largest meat recall were ordered to turn a blind eye to contamination on carcasses being processed for sale to Canadians, CTV News has learned, a directive that was imposed by the inspectors’ supervisors lasting four years.”

“Local researchers suggest a tax on soft drinks could help improve the health of Albertans while generating additional provincial revenue. Data shows Albertans drink more than one litre of pop per person, per day – which means the province has the highest percentage of people in the country who consume sugar-sweetened beverages.”

“The province has laid charges against two Edmonton-based employment agencies, for allegedly collecting illegal fees from foreign workers. Jonalyn Gandeza and Ira Nadnaden are facing a number of charges, including operating an unlicensed employment agency, charging prospective employees to help them find employment and misleading or deceiving a consumer.”

“Hundreds of Edmontonians are choosing private healthcare over the public system, at a cost they say is worth the extra money. Copeman, Edmonton’s first private healthcare clinic, brings together a number of health specialists including a family physician, dietician, kinesiologist, and neuropsychologist, all under one roof. Becoming a member of the clinic costs $4,200 per adult for the first year, with the price dropping in subsequent years. Lori DaSilva and her family pay thousands per year for health services at a private clinic in Edmonton. They say the services they receive from a private clinic is worth the money.”

It’s hefty but when you add up all the services you get/unlimited/no waits/etc. it does seem to be worth it…

“The Alberta man who became a YouTube sensation for enthusiastically belting out “Bohemian Rhapsody” from the back seat of an RCMP cruiser has been convicted of impaired driving and refusing a breathalyser test. Robert Wilkinson will have to pay a $1,400 fine and will be prohibited from driving for one year.”

I thought his rendition was hilarious – but wearing Viking horns to court is pretty dumb.

“A local animal advocacy group has received permission from Sir Paul McCartney himself, to use his two concerts in Edmonton to lobby for Lucy the elephant to be moved from the zoo. Voice for Animals Humane Society asked the former Beatle if they could set up at Rexall Place for Wednesday and Thursday night’s shows to raise awareness about their fight to have Lucy transferred from the Valley Zoo to an animal sanctuary. McCartney said yes.”

I am all for having Lucy be in a better environment with other elephants, etc., but if the move could kill her – I don’t see how people can say that’s better??

“The Oscars. The Emmys. The Grammies. And now, The Yeggies. A new initiative has been launched in Edmonton to celebrate the best social media content and creators the city has to offer. Officially called the Edmonton New Media Awards, the Yeggies strive to recognize some of the forgotten talent in blogging, podcasting, videoblogging and tweeting.”

“Edmontonians now have the option of checking out some familiar city landmarks from the comfort of their own home. Google has launched maps with enhanced, 360-degree panoramic Street View for several Edmonton facilities including City Hall, Churchill Square, the Muttart Conservatory and the Valley Zoo.”

“For the first time in well, a long time, New York City went a whole 24 hours this week without a single murder, stabbing, or shooting. Gotham enjoyed the unusual peace from 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, until 11:20 a.m. Tuesday, when a 27-year-old man was shot in Brooklyn. This rare feat in the city’s history is so rare, that the NYPD can’t even remember the last time it happened, NY1 reports. “Nice way to start the week,” said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.”

“The owner of a Bangladesh clothing factory where a fire killed 112 people says he was never informed the facility was required to have an emergency exit, a sign of how far removed the leaders of the nation’s garment industry are from issues of worker safety.”

“European and global financial leaders have agreed to release (EURO)44 billion ($57 billion) in critical loans to Greece and provide billions in additional debt relief in order to help the country stabilize its ailing economy.”

“The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting her first child, but has also been admitted to hospital for treatment of nausea and vomiting related to her pregnancy. In a statement posted Monday to Prince William and Catherine’s website, the couple said they were “very pleased” to announce the pregnancy, which comes after weeks of speculation that an apparent heir to the British throne could be on its way.”

A lot of people around the world were excited about this news, lol. It’s meh. I do think Kate is so pretty though!

“Here now to provide a some perspective on the matter of mortality is a variegated patchwork comprising 188 of the world’s countries, with each nation color-coded in accordance with the average life expectancy of its citizens.”

“Could a common medication prescribed for diabetes also treat a killer among women? One group is saying yes. Health.com is reporting ovarian cancer patients who were taking metformin lived longer than those who didn’t, which may possibly offer scientists more insight on how they can treat, and ultimately cure, the disease. The drug, which is usually prescribed to lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, is derived from French lilacs.”

“The occurrence of brain-rattling concussions among both elite male and female hockey players appears to be much higher than reported, suggests a study in which sports medicine doctors were behind the bench observing a season’s worth of games. The study, which followed players on two Canadian university teams during the 2011-2012 season, found the incidence of concussions was three times higher in males and more than five times greater in females than most previous research had found.”

“A tourist’s snapshot of a New York City police officer giving new boots to a barefoot homeless man in Times Square has created an online sensation… the officer – identified as Larry DePrimo – came up to the man with a pair of all-weather boots and thermal socks on the frigid night. She recorded his generosity on her cellphone. The photo shows the officer kneeling beside the man with the boots at his feet. A shoe store is seen in the background.”

“Social networking is no longer a passing trend as we entered the fully-fledged social media age this year, according to the Nielsen and NM Incite’s 2012 Social Media Report. The core finding of the report is that American consumers continue to spend more time on social networks than on any other category of sites.”

“Text messages turn 20 Monday and their use may rise 40 percent by 2016, even as mobile-phone owners increasingly rely on Facebook Inc. and WhatsApp to communicate. The first SMS, or short message service, text was sent over Vodafone Group Plc’s network on Dec. 3, 1992 with the message “Merry Christmas.” By 2016, users may send 9.4 trillion texts, generating $127 billion in revenue, up from 6.7 trillion forecast for this year, according to researcher Informa Plc.”

Happy birthday Text Messaging! Love you way more than phone calls in most day-to-day situations!

“From now until January 14, 2013, creative lab Party (read a profile on them here) has set up the world’s first 3-D photobooth in Harajuku (Tokyo). It’s a reservations-only combination 3-D scanner and printer that won’t just capture a flat face shot, but a head-to-toe, 360-degree, topographically accurate rendition of you. The printed portraits themselves are highly detailed, and immeasurably charming.”

What can you get with $7? Well, you can probably grab a very nice lunch at the food court, or two decent brown-bag lunches from home. Or now, you could get a single cup of coffee. Starbucks has just announced its most expensive coffee yet, a so-called Geisha blend labelled Costa Rica Finca Palmilera.

“Scientists believe some people have a gene that hard-wires them for binge drinking by boosting levels of a happy brain chemical triggered by alcohol. The gene – RASGRF-2 – is one of many already suggested to be linked with problem drinking, PNAS journal reports.”

“The amount of heat-trapping pollution the world spewed rose again last year by 3 per cent. So scientists say it’s now unlikely that global warming can be limited to a couple of degrees, which is an international goal. The overwhelming majority of the increase was from China, the world’s biggest carbon dioxide polluter. Of the planet’s top 10 polluters, the United States and Germany were the only countries that reduced their carbon dioxide emissions.”

“You would probably not enjoy the galaxy NGC 1277. Never mind that it’s far — 220 million light-years away in the constellation Perseus. The problem is that at its center is a giant, giant black hole, 17 billion times as massive as our sun, so big that scientists calculate it makes up 59 percent of the mass of the galaxy’s disc. Astrophysicists have long believed that there’s a black hole at the center of our Milky Way, but it probably accounts for something like 0.1 percent of the galaxy’s center. The one in NGC 1277, scientists report in today’s edition of the journal Nature, is the second largest they’ve ever observed, and it upends what they thought about how galaxies form.”

“In a sand drift on Mars, NASA’s Curiosity rover discovered … sand. At a meeting of the American Geophysical Union here, scientists working on the mission talked about the analysis of the first soil sample. John P. Grotzinger, the project scientist, inadvertently set off expectations of a major discovery when he told National Public Radio a couple of weeks ago that the data was “one for the history books.” On Monday, Dr. Grotzinger said he was referring to the richness and quality of the data coming from Curiosity’s sophisticated instruments on the soil sample, not that it contained a major discovery. Dr. Grotzinger and other Curiosity scientists said their analysis did not provide definitive evidence for the building blocks of life as some had speculated.”

“Nine years before Pixar presented the world with Toy Story, their first full-length animated film, the computer animation studio released Luxo Jr., an animated short about two anthropomorphized lamps that taught us that humans can form an emotional bond with pretty much anything. Inspired by Pixar’s icon, three New Zealand students designed and built a roboticized lamp, says CNet Australia. The lamp, equipped with six servos and a webcam, can move and play (though it doesn’t seem to be able to hop).”

“In 2012, we invested in dictionaries. Old dictionaries. Slang dictionaries, mostly, and often we didn’t have to invest much. What we spent at yard sales and used book stores was well worth it, and we’ve been shoehorning great terms like these into office conversations all year.”

“Authorities have demolished a five-storey home that stood incongruously in the middle of a new main road and had become the latest symbol of resistance by Chinese homeowners against officials accused of offering unfair compensation. Xiayangzhang village chief Chen Xuecai told The Associated Press the house was bulldozed Saturday after its owners, duck farmer Luo Baogen and his wife, agreed to accept compensation of 260,000 yuan ($41,000).”

Bizarre story + photos WERE real! And just like that – the home is bulldozed after all.

“The Apple empire has extended to the baby crib. A new baby name report released this week by BabyCenter, a pregnancy and parenting information website, shows more parents named their children after Apple-related products in 2012. The name “Apple” was used for at least six girls in 2012, twice as many as in 2011. “Mac,” meanwhile, was used for at least 49 boys, up from 25 a year ago. And at least 17 girls were named “Siri” this year, up from 11 last year.”

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Clicks of the Week is a weekly round up of news. It used to be Clicks of the Day, but Linda’s life got busy so now it’s a weekly thing. Number of Clicks will be dependent again on the busyness of life that week.

Edmonton/Alberta/Canada

(I continue to do a poor job collecting local/national news throughout the week. Next week’s will be more comprehensive…)

“Months after Edmontonians voted for the new name of the city’s summer fair, Northlands unveiled the new look for next summer’s event. “The ‘K’ stands for whatever you want it to,” Northlands President Richard Anderson said. “K-Days is a nod to the past, we’re certainly going to honour Klondike Days, and other events prior,” Anderson continued. “It’s really a foundation for the future, the question is, what’s your ‘K’?””

Hmmmmm. I am not overly impressed with this theme, lol it’s whatever you want it to be?

“Edmonton’s Ukrainian community gathered at city hall Saturday to mark the 79th anniversary of Holodomor, a deliberate famine/genocide imposed in the Ukraine in 1932-33, that left millions dead. Natalia Talanchuk is a Holodomor survivor. She was just eight years old when the famine was imposed by the Joseph Stalin-led communist Soviet Union regime during the 1930s. “I can’t sleep at night sometimes thinking about it because it haunts me,” Talanchuk said.”

“A 17-member citizens’ jury in Edmonton gave a unanimous thumbs-up to Internet voting Sunday after spending three days listening to experts talk about the pros and cons associated with the technology. Their approval is the next step in a process that could see absentee or disabled voters given the chance to cast special ballots online in Edmonton’s next civic election on Oct. 21, 2013.”

“The Weather Network’s top forecaster is advising Canadians to keep their winter mitts close and snow shovels even closer as he expects much of the country is in for a harsher blast of winter than it was dealt last year. “We’ll get more winter this year than we did last year,” said director of meteorology Chris Scott. And that means a return to more “typical” historic conditions of cold and snow gripping much of the country, he said.”

“Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber now has a Diamond Jubilee Medal to add to his accolades. Prime Minister Stephen Harper presented the medal to Bieber at Scotia Bank Place in Ottawa prior to Bieber’s concert on Friday night. A spokeswoman for the prime minister says the Stratford, Ont., singer’s family was with him as Bieber — who was dressed in overalls for his concert — received the honour from Harper.”

Um. I’m sorry but if he can do costume changes during his concert he can change out of overalls to receive the freaking Diamond Jubilee medal!

“Shredded Long Island police records that landed on spectators at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade were brought by a department employee who tossed the confidential confetti with his family, a New York TV station reports. Among the easily identifiable records from the Nassau County Police Department were what appears to be details of Mitt Romney’s motorcade route to and from the final presidential debate at Hofstra University.”

“Active video games may help get kids off the couch, but child fitness advocates say they shouldn’t be seen as a substitute for real exercise. Active Healthy Kids Canada has released its official position on active video games after convening an international panel of researchers to look at the latest evidence on the subject. The organization says “exergames” are a good way to break up the time kids spend being sedentary. However, they’re not as good as having kids play real active games or sports.”

“Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and first of year of life may have links to autism in children, a U.S.-based study has found. The study, conducted in California and published online Monday in Archives of General Psychiatry, examined the relationship between traffic-related air pollution, air quality, and autism. It found children living in homes with highest levels of traffic-related air pollution were three times as likely to have the developmental disorder when compared with children residing near lowest levels of exposure.”

Sigh – feels like everything these days can be linked to every kind of cancer/disease/disorder/disability/illness/etc.

“U.S. researchers are calling for a design overhaul of the inflatable bounce houses that are a staple of children’s parties after finding that as many as 31 children per day are injured while playing in them. A study out of Ohio says that between 1995 and 2010 there was a 15-fold increase in the number of bounce house-related injuries in the United States, from fewer than 1,000 per year to nearly 11,000.”

“The Internet, it is sometimes said, turns every citizen into a journalist. If that is the case, some Twitter users in Britain are discovering one of the downsides of the business. As many as 10,000 Twitter users reportedly face the threat of legal action because of comments posted on the Internet or forwarded to others in which they referred to a BBC report wrongly linking a former Conservative Party official to the sexual abuse of a child.”

“A new exploit being sold for $700 may put tens of millions of Yahoo Mail users at risk. Once victims click on a malicious email link, the exploit allows an attacker to steal and replace tracking cookies, while remotely controlling the victims’ browsing sessions.”

“As smartphone use becomes more common, people are increasingly using their phones to take pictures, check their email or do online banking. That’s what a new study reveals, hinting once again that phones have become so much more than just calling and texting devices. ”

“Facebook (FB) Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg was asked by two privacy groups to withdraw proposed changes to the company’s governing documents, saying they raise risks to members’ data. Facebook shouldn’t roll back voting options for users, shift controls on messaging or combine data from affiliates, including newly acquired mobile photo-sharing service Instagram, said Marc Rotenberg, president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and Jeffrey Chester, president of the Center for Digital Democracy, in a letter to Zuckerberg. Facebook proposed modifications to its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and its data-use policy last week.”

“WestJet Airlines plans to test a new entertainment system next year that will allow passengers to use their tablets, computers and smart phones to access in-flight television and connect to the Internet, CEO Gregg Saretsky said Tuesday. A prototype is expected to fly some time in the first half of 2013. The new system could eventually lead the Calgary-based airline to do away with seat-back systems and shed about 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) from each aircraft.”

“Two years ago, when she started working at the deli counter of a Walmart in Illinois, Lisa hoped that her job would amount to the beginning of a career, one that would pay enough to cover her bills and enable her to stay current on her student loan debt. But despite one raise since, Lisa, who asked that only her first name be used, now earns just $9.10 an hour, or about $13,000 a year on part-time hours. Seven months pregnant, she recently filed for bankruptcy. With no alternatives at hand, Walmart now seems like a dead-end to poverty, she says.”

“Despite a widespread belief that sex during the later stages of pregnancy can jumpstart labour, a new study from Malaysia found no differences in the timing of delivery between women who had sex near term and those who abstained. “We are a little disappointed that we did not find an association,” said Dr Tan Peng Chiong.”

“It is not every day that astronauts can claim to return to Earth with a new species of life. But when the astronauts on ESA’s CAVES underground training course returned to the surface they were carrying a special type of woodlouse.”

“Lonesome George, the late reptile prince of the Galapagos Islands, may be dead, but scientists now say he may not be the last giant tortoise of his species after all. Researchers say they may be able to resurrect the Pinta Island subspecies by launching a cross-breeding program with 17 other tortoises found to contain genetic material similar to that of Lonesome George, who died June 24.”

“Japan’s era of shoguns and samurai is long over, but the country does have one, or maybe two, surviving ninjas. Experts in the dark arts of espionage and silent assassination, ninjas passed skills from father to son – but today’s say they will be the last.”

“Homeowners Luo Baogen and his wife refused to allow the government to demolish their home in Wenling, Zhejiang province, China, claiming the relocation compensation offered would not be enough to cover the cost of rebuilding. So, adjacent neighboring homes were dismantled, and, bizarrely, the road was built around the intact home, leaving it as an island in a river of new asphalt.”

I just can’t see how this is real but I mean, the photos and The Atlantic are pretty legit. So strange!!!

“A couple died and their 16-year-old son went missing after being swept into sea in Northern California while trying to save their dog, authorities said Sunday… The dog got out of the water on its own.”

“As far as news bloopers go, it doesn’t get much cuter than this: a neighborhood kitty wandering on-camera during Univision 23 meteorologist Eduardo Rodriguez’s forecast segment recently. The Univision weather cat’s tail first floats along the bottom of the screen in the video above, then the surprise visitor takes a poke around the bottom righthand corner of the shot. ”

Um. The uploader has not made this video available in your country?!?! WAH. I WANT TO SEE THIS.

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Clicks of the Week is a weekly round up of news. It used to be Clicks of the Day, but Linda’s life got busy so now it’s a weekly thing. Number of Clicks will be dependent again on the busyness of life that week.

Edmonton/Alberta/Canada

(okay this section is really weak this time around, it’ll be stronger next week).

“A year ago they were homeless, sleeping in a parking garage, and preparing for a baby. Today, they have a five-month old child and an apartment of their own. And, they’re planning a wedding. For the first time ever, Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS) is hosting a wedding for two clients.”

“Mere moments after the story of Dan Lapotac, and the dozens of pets he had been looking after went to air, Janice Dodd’s phone started ringing, and it hasn’t stopped. “The calls started literally one minute after it went to air, one minute,” Dodds said. Dodds is an animal advocate who took up Lapotac’s cause after hearing about his living conditions. Lapotac has been living in a makeshift tent on the Enoch Cree Nation for four years – while he started with only four cats, the number of pets in his home has grown steadily. Recently, two litters of kittens and another litter of puppies were born, adding up to nearly 50 cats, and eight dogs.”

Local animal story of the week, for sure. I am so happy the Edmonton Emergency Vet Clinic offered to spay/neuter these cats for free and that there’s been a bunch of people calling, hoping to help & adopt. I hope every animal finds their forever home!!

“More Palestinian civilians were caught in the line of fire Monday as Israel expanded the scope of its campaign in the Gaza Strip, hitting densely packed areas of the territory with airstrikes. Israel began targeting the Gaza homes of Hamas activists and suspected military commanders over the weekend, bolstering its efforts to stop Hamas rocket fire on the state. The new approach, however, has led to an increased number of civilian casualties as airstrikes devastate more crowded areas of Gaza.”

“Over the past several months, dolphins have washed ashore along the northern Gulf Coast with bullet wounds, missing jaws and hacked off fins, and federal officials said they are looking into the mysterious deaths. The most recent case was of a dolphin found dead off the coast of Mississippi, its lower jaw missing. Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday they’re asking everyone from beachgoers to fishermen to wildlife agents to be on the lookout for injured or dead dolphins — and any unusual interaction between the mammals and people.”

This makes me so sick. If someone is doing this to the dolphins I honestly wish only the very worst things on them. Horrifying.

“What the hell is this 157m high metal structure in the the city of Fushun, in northeast China’s Liaoning province? It’s made of an astounding 3000 tons of steel and it will glow at night — decorated with 12,000 LED lights. According to Fushun Municipal Government’s officials, this titanic structure does absolutely nothing except serve as an elevated sighting position. They claim it is pretty “landscape architecture” — like the Eiffel Tower. It uses four elevators to take people to the top.”

Hmmmmmm. It definitely does look like an interdimensional portal, lol.

“Shortly after the Second World War, the Soviet Union constructed a massive industrial city-complex in the Caspian Sea off the coast of Azerbaijan. Home to over 5,000 workers, it was an intricate maze of oil platforms linked by hundreds of miles of roads and featuring a park, cinema, and apartment blocks. Called Neft Dashlari, the ocean city is still in use today, but it’ll be only a matter of time before the sea completely consumes it.”

“As we’ve reported, there’s a backlash brewing to sedentary office life as more people realize how sitting all day can do a body wrong… Take Salo, a financial consulting firm based in Minneapolis. The company has 12 treadmill desks, and encourages walking meetings and a mini-breakaway game — a mixture of pingpong, tennis and a bit of squash. Throughout the day, employees rotate on and off the available treadmill desks.”

Love this… and other ideas to get people moving at the workplace (‘walk and talk meetings’). There should be a push to have these initiatives put in place at al workplaces!!

“This 17-year-old teenager from North Fayette, Pa., has a rare condition called Kleine-Levin Syndrome — or “Sleeping Beauty Syndrome” — that makes her sleep 18 to 19 hours a day. And when she does wake up, she is often so tuckered out that she is in a sleepwalking state and doesn’t remember doing basic things like eating, according to KDKA-TV.”

“Facebook launched a job-board application, featuring 1.7 million listings from five different recruiting organizations. The new application, a product of the Social Jobs Partnership that Facebook started last year with several public agencies, aggregates jobs that are already available through the separate organizations to give job seekers a central location to look for work. This initial slew of jobs — sorted by industry, location, and skills — comes from BranchOut, DirectEmployers Association, Work4Labs, Jobvite, and Monster.com.”

“The global behemoth of social media has introduced an automatic “couples” page that has triggered the same instant revulsion and joy of its past changes… Facebook introduced the “couples” page last Thursday as “a new look for the Friendship page.” If you and someone you are in a relationship with both list that by name on your status, Facebook has already created a page just for the two of you. To see it, go to www.facebook.com/us. The page collects all of your joint tagged pictures, lists your mutual friends and tracks your shared posts.”

“One reason some people waited in long lines to be the first to get the new Nintendo Wii U console has nothing to do with the games. With Wii U devices all but guaranteed to be sold out at retailers around the world this Christmas, some buyers immediately put their new consoles on Ebay. Wii Us are already selling for over $500 on the site. There were well over 2,500 consoles listed on the world’s largest auction site just hours after it went on sale on November 18 at the Nintendo World store in New York City and around the globe.”

“RIM’s BB10 has been a hell of a long time coming. But the company has finally pinned down a launch date for the new OS: it will officially enter into the world on January 30th next year. The new software is pretty much make-or-break for RIM, whose fortunes have been failing of recent time. CEO Thorsten Heins, however, promises great things.”

“Scientists have reversed paralysis in dogs after injecting them with cells grown from the lining of their nose. The pets had all suffered spinal injuries which prevented them from using their back legs. The Cambridge University team is cautiously optimistic the technique could eventually have a role in the treatment of human patients.”

“Astronomers have spotted a “rogue planet” – wandering the cosmos without a star to orbit – 100 light-years away… One tricky part is determining if rogue planet candidates are as massive as the “failed stars” known as brown dwarfs, further along in stellar evolution but without enough mass to spark the nuclear fusion that causes starlight.”

“The Belly Button Biodiversity Project, which explores the bacterial ecosystems living in its participants’ navels, has discovered that a small number of bacterial phylotypes (or “species”) dominate the micro-landscape. The biologists’ results show a “jungle of microbial diversity” with over 2,300 species of bacteria present and only eight of those recurring frequently — a similar diversity distribution to that of tree species in tropical rainforests.”

“Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Lucas’ anointed successor, Kathleen Kennedy, says that the company wants to produce “two or three films a year”, which aside from the odd Indiana Jones flick certainly suggests we can expect all kinds of Star Wars output over the next decade.”

“The demand of dozens of citizens has been denied in the Ecuadorean city of Guayaquil: There will be no jackass running for the legislature. At least 40 people paraded their candidate through the city’s streets to the electoral council offices. Mr. Burro even wore a tie. But officials refused to even let them in the door on Thursday.”

Lol. What’s with people pushing for animals to run for office everywhere?

“Akutan, the Aleutians community with a brand new but so-far unused airport on another island, also has a new harbor but no road connecting it to the town 2 miles away. KUCB reports the harbor was begun by the Army Corps of Engineers with $29 million in federal stimulus money even though the connecting road was likely years in the future.”

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ABOUT LINDA

My name is Linda Hoang and I am a social media/communications specialist based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I blog about food, social media, and Edmonton events. Thank you for visiting! For inquiries, contact hoang.t.linda@gmail.com